Farming with a Friend
by Pancakes-sama
Summary: Mark was going to Castanet to take over his grandfather's farm when a storm changes everything. Now he's stuck on a place called Sunshine Island to take care of a farm there. Worse? A hyper girl shares it with him.
1. Let's be Friends!

_**I don't own Harvest Moon - Island of Happiness, Natsume does.**_

A blonde boy handed a hastily written letter over to a stranger. "Tell him I'm doing fine, and I'll get to the island in no time. The man nodded and walked his destination. The boy sighed, picked up his things, and went forward.  
>-<em>-<br>Dear Dad,_

_Everything is going great, just like you said! I have lots of crops, the animals are great, and the neighbors are friendly!_

_..Scratch that, I'm not even on the ship yet._  
><em>Just like you told me, the S.S. Striker is pretty big! I can't believe I can actually afford a ticket! <em>  
><em>Back on subject, I bought those boring seeds you told me to buy or whatever. I don't really care to this farming stuff, but I guess I'll do it for Grandpa. (Although, he did say he wanted his only son, you, to be the one to take care of it.)<em> _After all, it did mean a lot to him and I don't want to seem like some heartless kid, unlike Claire who, even though she has a farm, is doing it since she's broke and she sold her apartment. Oh Mom, she calls her the smart one._  
><em>Looks like the ship is about to go. Better get on it! I'm giving this letter to a man heading your way by foot, so don't be surprised if some guy is on your doorstep!<em>

_I'll write you again soon_,  
><em>~Mark<em>  
>-<p>

"Full name?" a tall man wearing a very official looking badge ask him as he handed over his ticket.

"The name's Tanner- Mark Tanner," Mark said, trying to squeeze a smile from the man.

No reaction. He answered some more questions until he was finally let on the ship. _Freedom_, Mark thought with a grin. _Now I can relax for 3 days before I get to work._

The ship was, as he had told his father, huge. It had a reason,of course. Many people were on board. "Excuse me! Sorry!" he had to yell at least a dozen times before he got to an uncrowded area, the back of the ship. No one wanted to risk the chance of never seeing their loved ones again._ Yeah right, I doubt we'll die on this cruise or something._

Sighing, he looked up at the sky. Not a single cloud, just pure sunshine. _Nothing could go wrong on a day like this!_ Mark turned around to go to his room when he saw a speeding figure. Just as he was about to step away, it threw him back.

"Oh my goddess! I'm so sorry!" He heard a girlish voice say. Mark looked up. On top of him was a girl with auburn hair, covered by a red bandana. "It's fine. I mean, there's _totally_ a reason to run into people with no reason," he said sarcastically. She didn't seem to be hurt by his remark. "I'm Chelsea," she said, extending her hand to help him up, "And you are?"

Mark was reluctant to tell the strange girl his name, but he didn't want to be lonely throughout the whole cruise. _ Best to make some new friends, even if they're.. as dangerous as her. _he thought. "Mark," he said finally.

Chelsea's eyes lit up. "Now we're FRIENDS!" she yelled excitedly and embraced her "friend" in a tight hug.

_I guess this cruise will be crazier than I hoped for._

__  
><strong>AN - What a short first chapter. Don't worry, it'll be longer than this! I hope you enjoyed it!**_

_**(Also, don't worry about me not updating because of no reviews. I'm on a schedule instead - twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. This week will be an exception, Sunday and Friday.)**_

_**(EDIT - Forget schedules. I'll just update once a week, mainly on Sundays.)  
><strong>_


	2. Let's Swim!

_**As usual, I don't own Harvest Moon. Natsume does.  
><strong>_

The days following Chelsea's arrival into Mark's life weren't as quiet as he had hoped for.

One particular day came to mind. It was a windy day, with a few dark clouds. _Not that bad _he thought. There was a few rumors of a storm approaching which could possibly lengthen the time it takes to get to Castanet. It didn't seem to bother him at the time; The longer it took, the better.

Chelsea had decided they were going swimming, no questions asked. "Come on! It'll be fun, and no one will see you if you're embarrassed that you can't swim as good as me,"she said while she was literally dragging him towards the pool. _Of course, she just had to boast about her swimming talents._

After convincing her he wouldn't run away, Mark confessed something that most people, excluding his parents and siblings, didn't know about him. "I can't swim, Chelsea. Never could, never will. Now can we go back?" That just excited her even more, her blue eyes lighting up. "I could teach you! I totally can! I swear I will!" He sighed. _What did I just get into?_

And teach him she would. Chelsea started off with the most basic of things - Staying underwater for as long as you can. "Just dunk your face in until you can't breath! It's easy," she said, pushing Mark towards a sad excuse for a pool. "Are you kidding me? I'm not putting my fa-" Chelsea interrupted him with a swift move of her hand, causing him to fall into the pool. Despite her dainty exterior, she was really strong.

He came up almost immediately, grabbing onto the sides. She looked at him disapprovingly. "Too short," was all she said before diving in. Mark flinched at the splash. "Can't you at least use a ladder?" No reply. "Chelsea?" Again, nothing. _Oh no._

Mark waited for another minute before looking in the water. It was hard at first and he came up at least three times before he could finally see clearly. _No one's at the bottom_.. He felt a sharp grab on his shoulder. Mark began to struggle as the hand pulled him up.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" yelled a familiar voice behind him. Mark turned around. Auburn hair, blue eyes. Rage exploded inside of him while a mischievous smile appeared on Chelsea's face. "It's the only way I could have taught you to swim _AND_ go underwater for so long! A record 5 minutes, compared to the 1 and a half second from earlier." He sighed. It was pretty clever, in a stupid way. At least he kind of knew how to swim. Better than nothing.

"Let's just get dried off," he said, trying to sound as ungrateful as he could. For a few minutes, Mark actually felt happy that he met Chelsea and was her "very best friend," as she put it. _No more threats of drowning_, he thought to himself, with a tiny smile on his lips. _Take that, Claire._

It was what happened somewhere around midnight that would put him into Chelsea's debt until they died. Something that was there for days, but nobody payed much mind to it.

Mark was dreaming about the horrors he would have to face on his new farm, like the animals kicking and hurting him until he was black and blue. The worst part was his wife and 13 kids, who kept saying, "Wake up, Mark. You need to get up right now, before we die. Please, Mark."

**_BANG!_**

"GODDESS, MARK! GET! **_BANG!_** UP! **_BANG!_**"

His dream had a whole new meaning.

"I'm up! Now stop beating me with that pan!" he yelled at Chelsea, who was holding a cooking pan he bought for protection. Her eyes were narrowed, which was unusual for her due to her cheerful nature. "It's the middle of the night. Oh, wait, is it something important, like, oh I don't know, throwing your stupid feathers off the deck for the fun of it?" Mark asked angrily, referring to the night before.

Chelsea shook her head, seriously. "We're sinking."

"What?"

"You heard me. The ship is S-I-N-K-I-N-G."

"You're not pulling my leg again, are you?"

"No. Let's go." It seemed like her personality, more likely her identity, changed more than anything.  
><strong>-<strong>

**A/N - Looks like we've gotten to the infamous ship sinking! Let's hope Chelsea's training will help them get through this.**

**(Spoiler - Of course it will. Why do you think** **I'm writing this whole story?)**

**(Also, by the time you've seen this update, you'll notice I've decided on a naming theme for the chapters - All of them will start with "Let's" and then whatever happens in that chapter.  
><strong>


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